The Listening God

“Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, ‘The hand of our God is for good on all who seek Him, and the power of His wrath is against all who forsake Him.’ So we fasted and implored our God for this, and He listened to our entreaty.”—Ezra 8:21-23

Reading Ezra is a feast of faith. Seeing a man so devoted to God, enamored by His Word, and so courageous in the midst of calamity can fan into flame the dimmest flicker of faith. The very thing that is so striking about Ezra appears in our passage for today. It is not his faith that strikes us or his adherence to God’s law; it’s his fear that I find so refreshing. Not that I delight in fear, but it’s in the honesty that Ezra displays—he struggles just like us. It’s almost as if we can hear ourselves in Ezra when he says, “For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, ‘The hand of our God is for good on all who seek Him, and the power of His wrath is against all who forsake Him.’” Why was he ashamed? He was ashamed because he didn’t want to ask a pagan king for protection on a journey directed by God. If the hand of God was upon them, and He was the only God, the living God, then why ask for protection from soldiers and horsemen who could not save?

Man’s resources are quickly exhausted when faced with the realities and possible calamities of life. It is then that we become most acutely aware of our relationship before Almighty God. Ezra was all too aware of what they faced on their journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. They were prime targets for any band of marauders or bandits. He had told the king that God was for all of those who seek Him and was against those who forsake Him, so when life challenged his theology, he went to the ultimate King—God Himself, for guidance and protection. Ezra proclaimed a fast, a practice whereby the people would humble themselves by going without food for a certain period of time. Fasting cleanses the body and clarifies the mind. By denying our bodies food, we become more aware of our dependence and state before God. Our flesh is denied that which gives it nourishment while our spirits are drawn to communion with God. Ezra’s proclamation of a fast enabled their requests to be made more intensely before God. And God heard their requests.

Our God is the listening God. He delights in hearing our requests, sorrows, trials and joys. His ears are ready to hear those who seek Him, especially those who humble themselves by fasting. He delights in showing Himself to be God on our behalf, honoring each step of faith because when we humble ourselves and find our delight in Him, He will receive praise and glory, and others in the world will be made aware of His goodness, grace, love, mercy and the forgiveness of sins made available through Jesus Christ. Amen.